CHICAGO – The NBA owners contend that they will suffer an estimated $300 million in combined losses for this 2011-12 season. The players’ union believes that number is significantly smaller, owning to alternative accounting methods. Both sides remain far apart overall in negotiations of a new collective bargaining agreement, fanning fears of an extended labor lockout after the current pact expires June 30.

So, NBA commissioner David Stern was asked Wednesday, what level of financial losses would the league find acceptable? The question got a swift rebuke from Stern.

“We’re not going to lose any money,” Stern said. “I’m not going to be commissioner of a league that is comfortable [losing money]. Because I don’t have a group of owners who find it acceptable for me to have that conversation with them.

“You don’t have $4 billion worth of revenue and pay out over $2 billion in salary and benefits to lose money. It’s something that we have sort of gotten used to as the revenues have gone up … but the world has changed about the prospect for all franchises, the world has changed for a lot of reasons – and economically – and now people who make investments in buildings and things expect not to lose money.”

Stern was in town to formally present the NBA Most Valuable Player Award to Chicago’s Derrick Rose before tipoff of Game 2 of the Bulls-Hawks playoff series at United Center. In meeting with reporters, Stern declined to respond to reports that the union was unhappy with the owners’ latest proposal, delivered last week.

He did expound more freely on Rose and one reporter’s mention in the same sentence of Rose and Michael Jordan. Not that Stern was in a comparing mood.

“I do know that he is the youngest MVP, that he deserves the award that he’s getting tonight, he had a heckuva season and he’s a heckuva teammate,” the commissioner said. “So you can check it all off – he’s a heck of a player.

“If we can keep him healthy, he’s going to have some career. And there are a lot of players who would like him not have this trophy next year.”

The nba is over-rated. Too many guys that can’t even hit a jumpshot. Half the players travel and the refs never call it. Guys are picked on size rather than talent or skill, remember kwame brown? They should cut the league in half so we can get 4-5 stars on each team. All the other mediocre players/teams that don’t make the cut get put into the d league. Then they should fire all the refs and bring in college refs. College refs will call it as they see it, regardless if you’re a star or not. If you’re going to be paying over $100 a ticket you should see a well officiated game with skilled players.

Keep dreaming. Mavs will exit Dallas with a 3-1 lead at worst, and LA won’t win 3 straight from there – rarely ever happens. LA’s done – Phil and Fish will retire, Kobe will slow down, and they’ll be 50-32 next year…6 seed in the West and 1st round exit.

You know who makes a lot more money than the players? The owners. Plus, since when have you been guaranteed to make money on an investment? I wish I could buy stocks that would always be profitable. If the owners want to ensure profitability then they can put there money in savings account and get .5% interest.

Why would the fans pay to go see a league that has been run into the ground by today’s players. With the collusion in Miami, trades by the Lakers and Celtics to “keep their winning tradition”, the league has become a joke. There is a reason why only a handful of teams have one a championship in the last 30 years, because it’s fixed. Fans, especially from medium or small market teams are fed up with it. Just look at any game and see all the open seats. The league should go down to 3 or 4 teams. Another league should be formed consisting of teams that have an equal chance at winning.

Interesting how you say that the league has been run into the ground by “todays players” but you’re griping about how only a handful of teams have won in the last 30 years. Also, you’re very ignorant (or perhaps retarded if you think the league is fixed). You can make any argument you want, but if the league was fixed then there is no way my Spurs would ever have been able to win 4 titles in 8 years considering they had some of the worst ratings in NBA history. It also doesn’t make sense how Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Dwight Howard, three of the league’s most popular and most marketable players, only have three combined Finals appearances between them and Chris Paul, Steve Nash, Carmelo Anthony (other popular players) have 0. Also, don’t say that medium and small market fans are fed up with the NBA. YOU might be but, I’m pretty sure that there are a lot of people in OKC and Memphis who are loving these playoffs. Also, fans in Utah and San Antonio have proudly supported successful teams for the past several decades. Fans in Sacramento are standing up and fighting for the Kings to stay, so I think it’s wrong to say that small and medium market fans aren’t supporting the NBA. Also, TV ratings are higher than they’ve ever been and attendance has been rising for the past several years. Every playoff game I’ve seen this year (and I’ve seen well over a dozen) has been a sellout or very close to it.

dude…. heat are merking on you… im a bulls fan, but i can recognise what they’re doin… i think who ever wins eastern conference finals wins the whole thing… smart moneys on heat… bulls might be a dark horse… i reckon celtics and lakers are out though..

It baffles me noticing that most kobe/lakers fans who comment around here, 1.) keep convincing themselves that the lakers were just letting the mavs win, 2.) type in ALL CAPS, 3.) dont know how to spell…
why is that?

YEAHH THE LAKERS ARE THE BEST IN THE LEAGUE AND NOW THEY ARE MORE FOCUS JUST PREPARE TO THE FINAL ….THEY LET MAVS WIN TWO FIRST GAME BUT THIS A PLAN…..JUST MAKE A JOKE…NOW THEY COME TO WIN FOUR GAME IN A ROW…PREPARE MAVS KOBE GO TO KILL YOUR TEAM….LET’S GO LAKER UHHH UHH AHHH AHH YEAHH YEAHH BABY

Steve to be honest with you. I just think he as tried as alot of fans that have teams that see the same teams win the chip. I know the nba isn’t not losing money. Toronto Raptors sits are maybe top ten in pricing but bottom half in winning. NBA needs a balance or they need to cut teams to create a balance. Pick your poison because rules will be in place to control spending. being a raptors fans. I never thought this day would come where I could go into a season and not call it a rebuilding year. Smiley face.